Just a Dream
by almostmissingyou
Summary: Lilly meets the guy of her dreams. Literally. Every night, she meets with Joe Jonas while she's sleeping and she thinks it's just a dream, but what if it isn't? Will they ever meet in real life? Loe.
1. Chapter 1

**So I'm going to try writing two stories at once. This one and another Loe story called, "Through Their Eyes." But here's the first chapter of this story.**

**I don't own the Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana. But if I did, it would be pretty sweet…**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**HMHMHMHMHM**

She was in an open field. The sun was shining brightly overhead and she was basking in the warmth. It wasn't too warm, and it wasn't too cold…just the right temperature. She looked down and noticed that her clothes were very bohemian. A long white flowy skirt and a simple, pale yellow tank top. She had no jewelry and her hair was loosely bound on a ponytail and draped over one shoulder. She was barefoot. With a giggle, she wiggled her toes in the grass. Looking around her she noticed that the field was full of tall, bright sunflowers.

"Oh, these are my favorite!" she cried in happiness. Her name may have been Lilly, but sunflowers just made her so happy. With a joyful whoop, she ran into the heart of the field and spun around and around in circles. She laughed and spun until she fell down. She knew this was a dream, but she was loving it anyway. There was something about dreams that made her feel so uninhibited and joyful.

This was kind of a strange dream for her. Her dreams were usually filled with cute boys or skateboarding or Hannah Montana events. They were loud and colorful and complicated. It was never this quiet, simple contentment in a field of sunflowers. She sighed and lay back, feeling a light breeze blowing across her skin. She liked this dream...

Suddenly, Lilly felt a presence that made her feel the urge to stand up. Oh no, this wasn't going to be one of those scary dreams where she'd be in a field of flowers when some axe-murdering weirdo would chase after her and kill her, was it? She tensed, stood and looked around cautiously. She didn't see anyone, as she turned around but then she spotted him. He had dark hair and he was dressed all in black. He was far enough away that she couldn't see his face, but she could tell that he wasn't holding anything. So maybe he wasn't an axe-murderer. But it was a dream and anything could happen…the figure started walking toward her. She debated whether she should stay where she was or run. Oh, who was she kidding? She picked up her skirt, and started running. Ugh! This is why she hated long skirts…she chanced a look behind her and she noticed that he was running, too. And he was getting even closer. Oh gosh!

She ran for what seemed like forever when she felt someone grab her arm. She screamed.

"Wait!" a voice said. "I won't hurt you." The voice sounded familiar…she turned and noticed the boy looked like Joe Jonas.

"What?" she asked, gasping for breath.

"I heard laughter, and I just wanted to come see who it was. I won't hurt you," he said gently.

"You look just like Joe Jonas," she whispered. _Oh great_, Lilly thought to herself. _You were just running from this guy and the first thing you can think of to say is that he looks like Joe Jonas?_

The boy smiled. "That's because I am Joe Jonas."

"Oh." She didn't say anything after that. Inwardly, she was freaking out. Joe Jonas was in her dream. EEEEEEEP!

"What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Lilly," she responded.

"A lily in a field of sunflowers…that's not something you see everyday," he laughed. She laughed with him.

"Sunflowers are my favorite," she said with a sigh. He didn't look like he was going to hurt her so she sat down. He did the same.

"But your name is Lilly."

"Just because my name is Lilly doesn't mean that they have to be my favorite flowers," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah…and I guess it would have been silly to name you sunflower…" Joe mused. Lilly laughed again.

"Tell me about yourself, Joe Jonas," she said after a moment.

"There's really not much to know about me. Nothing that you can't find on the internet," he commented.

"Yes, but it's my dream and I was thinking that maybe you'd reveal something like…you have seven toes or that you secretly sing opera in the shower."

"It's your dream? I thought it was my dream."

"Doesn't matter."

"How about this…I tell you something about me and you tell me something about you."

Lilly smiled. "I like that plan."

"Okay, I'll go first. My name is Joe Jonas. Your turn."

"Joe!" she cried. "That's not fair." He stuck his tongue out at her. "Fine…my name is Lilly –" She tried to say her last name but nothing came out. She attempted it again. "My name is Lilly – My dream isn't letting me say my last name…" she said aloud.

"I guess it's enough to know that your name is Lilly…for now," Joe said playfully. "Okay, I have three brothers and a mom and dad."

"I have one brother, two best friends who are practically my siblings, and my parents are divorced," She almost choked on the word "divorced." It had happened over two years ago, but sometimes it still hurt. "My brother lives with my dad in Florida. I don't see them much."

Joe reached for her hand sympathetically and squeezed gently. She smiled at him. "My turn, huh? Alright…I'm from New Jersey, but we've moved to California recently."

"Oh!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I live in California!"

"Sweet! Where?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to say…after all, my dream wouldn't let me say my last name…"

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "What else…I love to read."

"Really? What's your favorite book?"

Joe thought for a moment. "I'd have to say _A Tale of Two Cities_. It's got everything you need in a book…drama, romance, angst, angry mobs…"

"Mine's _The Alchemist_. By Paulo Coehlo. He's amazing," Lilly said, lying back with a sigh.

Joe followed suit. "I love that book, too! It's just fantastic! What do you do you like to do?"

"I like to surf and skateboard. When I'm doing either of those, it's just the most amazing feeling in the world…"

They talked for a while about themselves and about life. They talked and joked and it felt like they'd known each other forever. Lilly knew that this was a dream, but she never wanted it to end.

"Why do you suppose we're here?" he asked.

"I don't know. We're studying dreams in psychology, and sunflowers symbolize warmth and prosperity. It's also used to point people in the right direction," Lilly said. "Maybe it's telling me that I need to buy more Jonas Brothers concert tickets…"

"And maybe it's telling me that I need to…decorate my room with Lilies?" Lilly laughed. She was still positive that he was a figment of her imagination.

"This is a very weird dream, but I kind of like it," she said with a smile.

"Me too!" Joe reached for her hand. "I'm glad I met you. Even if it is just in a dream."

"Likewise," Lilly suddenly felt a tug, pulling her away. "I think I'm waking up! It was nice meeting you Joe!"

"I hope I see you again!" she heard him yell before she jerked awake. She sat up and realized that she was in a sleeping bag on Miley's floor.

"I'm never drinking Mr. Stewart's loco hot coco ever again," she whispered. She thought about her dream and sighed. "Or maybe I will…"

**HMHMHMHMHM**

Joe was eager to go to sleep. He wanted to know if he'd dream of her again. Lilly…he knew that she was probably a figment of his imagination, that she was just a dream…but he felt really good when he was with her last night. And he was also exhausted. It had been a terribly long day and he was just getting into bed at 3 am.

He lay in bed and waited to drift off…suddenly, he found himself in the sunflower field again. _Yes_, he thought. Now all he had to do was find her.

"Lilly!" he called. "Lilly?"

He saw a girl stand up in the middle of the field. "Joe! Joe, over here!" He grinned and ran over to her. "I thought you weren't coming. I've been waiting forever!" She lay back on the ground and Joe lay next to her. Tonight she was wearing a light blue sun dress and her hair was down in golden waves. She still had no shoes on. He, on the other hand, was still in all black.

"You look tired," she commented.

"It's been a long day," he said with a long sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"Why not? First, I had to get up at 7:00am after only getting a few hours of sleep the night before. We had filming in the morning, recording in the afternoon, a radio interview at night…" and he went on to outline his day. As he talked to her, the stress he had been feeling lessened. "This is nice," Joe said after he finished my story. "I hope we meet like this every night."

Lilly rolled on her side to face him and smiled. "Me, too."

"What about you? How was your day?"

"Hmm…I told my mom about my dream last night. I tried to convince her that it was telling me to buy Jonas Brothers concert tickets for when you guys stop here on tour, but she wasn't buying it." He laughed. "Let's see…school was frustrating. I forgot about a test and I'm pretty sure I did really badly on it. I got detention for being late to school, and Amber and Ashley were making fun of me and Miley again."

Joe knew about Miley from last night but he didn't know about the other two. "Who are Amber and Ashley?"

"They're these two girls who pick on us all the time. They think they're soooo cool, but really they aren't. I think they're just jealous because Miley's prettier than they are. If you saw her, you'd understand…" Lilly trailed off with a smirk.

"I find it hard to believe that anyone could be prettier than you," Joe blurted out. As soon as he said it, he turned bright red.

Lilly sat up and looked stricken.

Joe felt panic starting to bubble up in him. Did he say something wrong? He sat up too. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But did I say something wrong?" He was taken aback when she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. And started crying. Oh gosh. He didn't know what to do, so he just put his arms around her and held her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

When Lilly finally calmed down, she pulled away and wiped at her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said again. Lilly let out a teary laugh.

"No, no…just…thank you. No one's ever said that to me before…well, Rico said I was pretty once, but he was insulting me at the same time so it doesn't count. But thank you. Even if you're just a part of my dream, it means a lot to me." Lilly hugged him again.

"If it'll help, I'll say it every night. You're pretty. You're gorgeous. You're beautiful."

"Thank you," she whispered. Her arms were still around him, and he had to admit that he enjoyed it. "Oh! I'm waking up! Bye, Joe!"

"Bye, Lilly," he whispered as she faded away. She was just a dream. A beautiful, wonderful dream. He lay back on the ground and thought of her. If she was just a dream, she was the best one he'd ever had.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**So I hope you liked this one. The chapters will probably get longer as the story goes on. I'm not quite sure where exactly this one is going yet, so if you have any ideas, I'd be happy to listen and see if maybe I can incorporate it into the story.**

**Please review and let me know if you love it or hate it. Reviews make me ridiculously happy. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flames aren't really appreciated…**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-v**


	2. Chapter 2

"Why do you want to wait until marriage

**Woohoo! New chapter! I really should be doing homework this weekend, but writing is so much more fun. Thank you so much for the reviews and the favorites and the story alerts. It makes me happy. Sorry I haven't responded to all the reviews from chapter 1, but just know that I really appreciate it! And here's chapter 2!**

**I hope you likey!**

**I don't own Hannah Montana or the Jonas Brothers. Darn.**

**HMHMHMHMHM**

"Why do you want to wait until marriage?" Lilly asked Joe as they were once again lying in the sunflower field. She had been having these dreams for about a week now, and she was getting used to having these kinds of conversations with Joe. She had gotten to know him, even if t was a dream, and she felt comfortable enough to have these kinds of conversations. Maybe these dreams were her subconscious's way of telling her to examine her life decisions.

"It's just something that I've been raised to expect. I've never considered _not_ waiting," he answered. "All I've heard from church, from my parents, from my brother, is that I should wait. And I agree with it. What about you? What's your stance on the whole sex-before-marriage issue?"

Lilly thought for a moment. She wanted to give Joe the answer that she thought he wanted to hear, but hey. It was a dream. So why not be honest? "A few years ago, I didn't really think about waiting for marriage. It's not like I was thinking, 'Hey, I really want to have sex as soon as possible,' but I just never thought about it. Waiting for marriage or sex in general."

She didn't say anything else for a moment and Joe looked at her. "And now?"

"Now, I'm determined to wait." Again she didn't elaborate. 

"Do you mind if I ask what made you decide to wait?" he said tentatively.

Lilly bit her lip. "It isn't for some noble reason like a promise to my parents or to God…" She paused and took a breath. This was hard for her to talk about. She didn't even know why she started this conversation. "It's because my parents didn't. They'd known each other for years and they decided, hey why not? And my mom got pregnant with my brother and my parents got married. And then they got divorced a few years ago. I was ten. I'm not saying that couples that have sex before marriage are all destined for divorce…but I see the way my parents are now. I see the way they are with each other. And I don't want that." 

She felt Joe take her hand. "I think that's a very noble reason," he stated simply. "It's a promise to yourself and that's just as important." She smiled at him.

"Thank you," she whispered. There was a long silence. "My dad stopped by today. He's in town for an accounting conference," she blurted out.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked in concern.

"I think so. He was never really nice to me. He always liked my brother better, which is why I tried to get into stuff that was always more for boys. I thought that maybe if I excelled at surfing or skateboarding, he'd be really proud. But I was wrong. I was eight when I won my first skateboarding competition. My mom, even though she didn't approve, was behind me every step of the way. He never showed. And when I came home with the first place trophy, he just shook his head at me and asked God what he did wrong to raise such a tomboy. It was like a slap in the face. I had done all that to impress him, and he was actually disappointed."

"But you kept skating. You kept surfing," Joe pointed out.

"Yeah," she said with a sad smile. "My first real act of defiance. My dad wanted me to stop, but I didn't, just to spite him. Well, that and the fact that I loved it. I still do. When I'm surfing or skating, I feel free and weightless and everything in that moment is perfect."

"Did he say something to you today?" Joe asked.

"Just the usual. He wanted to know how his other son was doing," Lilly said contemptuously. "Just because I like doing some boy stuff doesn't mean that I'm not a girl. I'm just as girly as Miley. I love shopping and clothes and shoes. I just also happen to like skating, surfing and other sports. But whatever, I'm used to that. It's what he said to my mom that just killed me. It makes me want to hate him. I know that he's my dad and I should love him, but whenever he talks to my mom I can't stand him."

"What did he say?"

"He basically blamed my mother for raising me to be an abomination of a girl. He said that it was her fault for me being the way I am. My mom is so amazing. She took it as a compliment. She thanked him and then told him that if he didn't see what a wonderful daughter he had then he was a blind idiot. But then he told her that she was a cold freak, and started calling her terrible names and told her that no man would ever want someone who was such a bitch."

"That's terrible!"

"Yeah, yeah it is. My mom's the most wonderful person in the world, and for him to say those things to her…it just made me so angry. She tried not to show it, but it hurt her. I could tell. And so could he, from that smug look of satisfaction that crossed his face. I kicked him out and told him never to come back. I told him never to call again. And I don't think he will. He had some pretty choice words for the both of us when he left."

Joe squeezed her hand. "You're better off without him. He doesn't deserve you or your mom."

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry for dumping all this on you. I haven't even told Miley about any of this," she said wiping furiously at her eyes.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. And you listen to me all the time. It's the very least I can do. I'm glad you feel like you can talk to me," Joe said seriously.

Lilly smiled sadly at him. He was the best dream ever. "Thank you," she whispered. "I needed to hear that."

"You are very welcome," he said grinning.

"Do you think there's anything other than this field here?" she asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"While we've been here, all we've done is sit or lie down and talk. Which is fun and amazing and I love it, but I wonder if there's anything else out there."

"Let's explore," he suggested, standing up. He held a hand out for her and she took it. He helped her to her feet.

She grinned and looked down at herself. "I love my dream wardrobe," she told him. "I'm very skater-chick in real life, but in these dreams, I'm very earthy and flowy…I like it…" Today, or tonight or whatever, she was wearing a green dress that went up to her knees and there was a white flower tucked behind her ear. This time she had shoes: white strappy sandals with a bit of a heel. 

"Then why don't you dress like this in real life. I mean, if you want to."

"I don't know. It would be fun, but it's not who I am, I guess…"

"But if you want to do it, isn't it exactly who you are?"

Lilly looked at him. "How is it that you seem to get me?"

Joe shrugged. "It's my dream. I guess in dreams you can do anything right."

"How is it your dream? You're a figment of my imagination…"

He looked at her seriously. "I'm very real. You, on the other hand, are just a dream." They'd had this argument many times before. Which was strange, considering that he was her dream. Dreams usually didn't argue with her. At least, she thought that they didn't.

Instead of arguing further, she just started walking and so did he. They walked in silence and for a long time all they saw was sunflowers. Then she spotted something in the distance. "Is that…water?" she asked.

"I think so! And I think I see a pier. Let's go!" He grabbed her hand and they ran towards the pier. When they got there, they saw it was a kind of boardwalk. There were booths full of games and some with signs for food. But it was eerily empty. There was absolutely no one else there.

Lilly clung to his arm. "Oh my gosh. Please don't tell me that this is one of those dreams where an axe murderer jumps out and chases us down the pier and we're forced to jump into the water where there are man-eating sharks that will consume us alive and then—" She was cut off by Joe slamming his hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, your overactive imagination? Not helping," he muttered, moving his palm. 

"Sorry," she said meekly. Then she started up again. "It's just that I heard that if you die in dreams, you die in real life and I really, really don't want to die—"

"By the way," he added, cutting her off. "What is with you and axe murderers?" She had told him about what she had originally thought of him when she saw him in the first dream.

"Is now really the time for that question?" she hissed testily. 

"Sorry." He paused. "Do you think we should go closer?" Lilly hesitated. "Come on, it might be fun."

"Fine," she relented, still clutching his arm. "But if the axe murderer gets us, I'm blaming you."

"Come on," he sighed, rolling his eyes. He pulled her along behind him. They came to the first booth, which was one of those shooting basketball ones. "I wonder if we can play…" he wondered out loud. As soon as he said the words, three basketballs appeared in front of him. "That was weird…"

"I guess you should play?" Lilly suggested. "Oh! You can win me something!" she suggested playfully.

"Alright, I'll win you the biggest one!" he boasted, puffing up his chest. He picked up one basketball, aimed carefully and shot. It bounced off the rim of the basket. He tried again with much the same result. The last one didn't even touch the hoop. Lilly giggled at him.

"You think you can do better?" he taunted, raising an eyebrow. 

"Actually, I can," she said. Immediately, three balls appeared in front of her. She took off her shoes so that she her feet were flat on the ground and let the first ball fly. It bounced off the backboard and went in.

"Beginner's luck," Joe said dismissively. The second one went in, too.

She shot the last basketball and as it was arcing through the air, she cried, "Swish!" It went in smoothly. "Nothing but net, baby!" As soon as the last ball went in, a huge purple stuffed monkey appeared on the counter in front of her. She picked it up and handed it to him with a grin. "Here you go, honey," she said in a manly voice.

He took it, but stuck his tongue out at her. He made his voice high pitched and girly. "Oh, thank you, sweetie! You're so big and strong and handsome."

Lilly playfully shoved at him. "Let's go do something that you might actually win at," she said excitedly, her previous fear forgotten. They played a few more games, having a complete blast. Lilly won most of them and soon Joe's arms were laden with stuffed toys.

"Too bad I won't be able to take these with me," Joe sighed, playing with the purple monkey.

"Looks like I don't have that problem," Lilly teased.

"I will win you something," Joe said determinedly. His eyes lit up. "Here's something I can win!" She looked in the direction he was dragging her and she saw one of those hammer thingies. The one where you used the oversized hammer to hit the target, which makes the little thingy go up and hit the bell. Yeah, that one.

"Don't hurt yourself, Joe," she said, eyeing the game skeptically. Joe put down the stuffed toys Lilly bought him. He struggled to pick up the hammer that was propped against the game. He took a deep breath, mustered up all his strength and swung the hammer at the target. They both watched as the little black thing went up and up…and up and up.

DING!! It hit the bell!

"YES!" he cried in triumph. Lilly threw herself in his arms with a shriek of happiness. She didn't even know why she was so excited for him, but she was. He spun her around in a circle. 

A teddy bear almost as big as Lilly appeared at their side.

"I believe this is yours, mademoiselle," Joe said with a bow. She giggled.

"Why thank you, good sir!" She picked it up and stumbled forward a few steps.

"Why don't I take that one," Joe suggested. "And you can take some of the smaller ones." 

"Good idea," she said putting the bear down with a grunt.

They walked around a little more and played a few more games until Lilly felt that familiar tug that told her she was waking up. 

"This has been so much fun, Joe," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, it has been. This was the best dream date ever," he said, grinning. Before Lilly could respond, though, she was awake in her bedroom. She sighed. She really wished that she was meeting Joe Jonas in her dreams. She got up and got to get ready for school, not noticing the giant teddy bear that was sticking out of her closet.

Meanwhile, Joe woke up, too. He didn't really want to, but since Lilly wasn't there anymore he didn't mind that much. He really loved dreaming of her…

"Oof, why does my back hurt so much?" he wondered out loud. He sat up and realized that there were stuffed animals all over his bed. _Frankie really needs to stop leaving his toys on my bed,_ he thought. 

Frankie walked into his room then. "Whoa! Where did you get all the cool toys?!" he asked excitedly.

"Funny, Frank," Joe said rolling his eyes. "Were you playing in my room again while I was sleeping?"

"No. But can I have these?" he picked up a white and orange striped Zebra and began pretending to make it move.

"You mean these aren't yours?" Okay, now he was confused…Frankie shook his head, too engrossed in his game with the zebra and a stuffed tiger to actually answer out loud.

_This is weird_, Joe thought. 

Then he noticed, propped against the wall in the corner was a big, purple stuffed monkey.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**I hope you guys liked it. I wanted to give Lilly a little background about why her dad and brother are hardly ever mentioned and how she got into skating and stuff like that.**

**Please review and let me know if you love it or hate it. Reviews make me ridiculously happy. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flames aren't really appreciated…**

**Thanks for reading!  
-v**


	3. Chapter 3

**NEW CHAPTER!! YAY!! It's like I just can't stop writing this weekend…although the updates are gonna have to slow up pretty soon…I have two tests next week and I need to catch up on my work for those classes…and I don't really know why I feel the need to explain all this, but okay.**

**Anyway, thank you all again for all the reviews and the favorites and story alerts! I didn't realize that this story would be so well received, but it definitely makes me happy! So thanks again!**

**Anyway, here's chapter 3, and I hope you like it!**

**insert standard/witty disclaimer here, because I don't own any of the characters**

**HMHMHMHMHM**

Joe stared uncomprehendingly at the purple monkey. He had grabbed it from the corner and stuck it on his bed, where he sat, just staring at it. Frankie, bless him, was still sitting on the floor playing with the zebra and the tiger. He was currently pretending that the tiger was eating the zebra. Oh, seven year-olds…

Looking at the monkey, Joe tilted his head. This absolutely wasn't possible. It had to be Nick's or Kevin's. Yeah, that was it. They had lots of random stuff and the reason he dreamed of it was because he saw it in one of their rooms. Yeah, that was it.

Nick chose that moment to walk in. "Frankie, we told you to wake Joe up, not go upstairs and play!" he admonished. "Were you playing in Joe's room again while he was asleep?"

"No!" Frankie said indignantly. "And it's not my fault that Joe makes a good mountain. I need him so the animals can climb over him."

Nick sighed. "Whoa, where'd you get the monkey?" He eyed the monkey critically. Okay, so maybe it was a little weird, but Joe liked it! Nick shouldn't have been judging him for it.

"So I'm guessing it's not yours, then…" Joe said wearily. Nick shook his head. "Do you think it's Kevin?"

Nick shrugged. "I guess I can ask him." Nick poked his head out and yelled down the stairs. "Yo Kev, do you have a purple monkey?"

"What?!" an incredulous voice came from below them.

"Do you have a purple monkey, stuffed or otherwise?" Nick asked like it was the most natural thing in the world. Joe just shook his head. Geez, his brothers…

"No, I don't!" was Kevin's answer.

"I guess it's all yours, bro," Nick said with a shrug. "Maybe some crazed fan came and snuck it in the middle of the night." He dodged a fluffy toy dog that Joe threw at him. "Mom wants you down in ten minutes. Come on, Frankie." The two younger brothers left (Frankie taking the zebra and tiger with him) and Joe closed his door.

He looked at the monkey again. "It isn't possible," he whispered. "It just isn't possible." Because if it was possible, then it was possible that Lilly was real. And he didn't dare to let himself hope.

As he sat at the kitchen table eating his breakfast, he thought about the possibilities. He felt like he was a pretty creative guy, open minded and he tried to live by the philosophy, "Anything's possible." But this…this crossing over between dreams and reality…it just wasn't possible. They had a photo shoot that morning so they had to get going, but Joe managed to corner Frankie for a moment with no one around.

"Do you think it's possible to dream of something and then carry it back with you when you wake up?" He couldn't believe that he was asking his youngest brother this, but he was the only one that wouldn't think Joe was crazy for asking it. At least, Joe thought so…

"Anything's possible," Frankie replied simply. He left Joe to brush his teeth.

Joe thought for moment. Maybe he would try to test it out tonight? He couldn't wait to see her.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

"Shopping today after school?" Miley asked Lilly at lunch.

"Of course!" Lilly replied, snapped out of her thoughts of Joe.

"Ugh, why do you need to go shopping again? You just went, like, three days ago!" Oliver exclaimed in disgust.

"It's shopping," Miley said.

"We're girls," Lilly added.

"Do the math," they finished in unison. They gave each other high fives and laughed.

Oliver made a face at them. "Okay, yeah, that was cute the first hundred times you mocked it. Now? Not so much."

"Aww, Ollie," Lilly said in a baby voice, reaching across the lunch table to pinch his cheeks. "We're just pwaying wid you!"

"Oooh, look at the cute nerd couple," a snide voice remarked from behind them. It was Ashley.

"They're a couple? I didn't realize that Oliver dated men!"

Lilly decided to ignore them. She thought about what Joe said. Even if he wasn't real, he was right. She was pretty and he made her feel special. She wasn't going to let anyone bring her down.

Miley opened her mouth to say something snide to them, but Lilly shook her head at the brunette. Instead, Lilly started talking about their planned shopping trip.

"I think I need to buy new shoes," she told her best friends.

"Hah! The only good shoes you can afford are probably from the dollar store!" That was Ashley again.

"And I might want to buy a few more dresses," Lilly went on, as if she hadn't heard the other girl.

"Like you would even know how to put one on," was Amber's attempt at an insult.

Miley decided to play along. "Oooh! I saw a couple of really cute ones at the mall that I think would be absolutely _perfect_ for you."

"Amber, what's going on?" Ashley said in a panicked voice. "They're not responding to our insults!"

"I know! They must be some kind of…of FREAKS!" As soon as Amber yelled the word, the cafeteria went silent.

Lilly decided to finally acknowledge them. She stood up and walked towards Amber. "Aww, Amber honey, we don't think you're freaks. Maybe a little strange and high strung, but not a freak. And don't worry, even if no one else wants to sit with you, you're welcome at our table any time!"

Amber was turning an interesting shade of purple, she was so angry. Ashley just looked confused. "Urrrrrgh!" Amber cried in frustration and stomped out of the cafeteria, Ashley trailing behind her.

"Don't be a stranger!" Lilly called after them as she sat down. She ignored all the other students in the cafeteria staring at her.

"That. Was. BRILLIANT!" Miley exclaimed.

"I guess. I just figured why let them have the satisfaction of getting a reaction from me? They're just petty, small people who don't matter." Lilly went back to eating her lunch.

"You must teach me, master," Miley said, clearly still in awe.

"First we need to go shopping," Lilly instructed. "I was completely serious about the dresses, by the way. Do you want to come with us, Ollie?"

Turned out that Oliver didn't want to go, but they hadn't expected him to. They were walking through the mall when Miley stopped Lilly.

"This store has those dresses I was talking about earlier," Miley said. They went in, and automatically Lilly's eye went to a yellow one that looked almost exactly like the one she wore on her dream "date" with Joe. She knew right away that she needed to buy it. She and Miley picked out a few more dresses for each of them and paid.

Just to make sure that she wasn't completely losing her original style, she bought a pair of converse and some clothes in her usual style.

"You know," Miley said, regarding Lilly closely as they walked towards Mr. Stewart's car (he had come to pick them up). "There's something different about you."

Lilly tilted her head and looked at her friend. "Is it a bad different?"

"No, it's a good different. A very good different," she answered with a smile.

All in all, it was a good day. She couldn't wait to tell Joe about it.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

Joe was welcomed back to their sunflower field by a soft, sweet voice singing. He laughed when he saw Lilly singing and dancing around. God, he loved seeing her.

"_You always dress in yellow  
when you wanna dress in gold  
Instead of listening to your heart  
You do just what you're told  
You keep waiting where you are  
What you'll never know  
Let's just get into your car  
And Go baby Go_

_(So) Why not  
(Why not)  
Take a crazy chance  
Why not  
(Why not)  
Do a crazy dance  
If you lose the moment  
You might lose a lot  
So why not  
Why not"_

"Is the Hilary Duff song really necessary?" He asked playfully. She looked up, so startled that she tripped and fell on her face. Joe winced and ran to help her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, trying not to laugh. He pulled her to her feet and she nodded. Her cheeks were red and she looked absolutely adorable. "You know, you have a pretty voice."

"Only in dreamland. I'm absolutely terrible in real life."

"I don't know…"

"I do. I recorded a song once, and it was awful!"

"Maybe it's a matter of confidence."

"Believe me, I had plenty of confidence. Even though I know my best friend sings so much better—"

"That doesn't really sound like confidence right there. Maybe when you think no one's listening, you sound better because you have no one to impress. Try it one day." He nearly laughed at himself. He was telling a dream to try something when she was alone. It probably wasn't even possible for her to exist when he wasn't there. Then again, there was a purple monkey on his bed telling him different…

"Do you think it's possible to produce anything we want in Dreamland? Like, on the boardwalk when the basketballs just magically appeared?" Joe asked abruptly.

Lilly thought for a moment. "I don't know. Why don't you try it?"

"Okay," he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I want an annual pass to Disneyland." He held out his hand, closed his eyes and waited for something to happen. There was nothing.

Lilly giggled at him. "You're a famous rock star and the thing you wanted to get was a pass to Disneyland?"

"It's the first thing I could think of!" he defended. "You try it, if you're so good."

"Fine, I will. Your birthstone is a sapphire, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You'll see." She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and straightened her shoulders, held out her hand and concentrated. A few moments later, a large silver, oval locket with a sapphire in the center appeared in her palm. She held it up to him in triumph, and then opened it. Her forehead crinkled with a frown. "I wanted there to be pictures in here, but it didn't work. But it's for you." She held it out to him sweetly.

"I have an idea," he said excitedly. He concentrated really hard and a moment later scissors appeared in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked when he reached for her hair.

"Relax." He cut off a tiny lock of her hair and stuck it in the locket, then put it around his neck. "Perfect. Now I want to give you something." He concentrated again but nothing happened. "Darn it, I thought I got it…"

"You'll get it eventually, don't worry. And besides, it's not like I can take it back with me anyway." Joe wasn't so sure about that. He fingered the locket around his neck. He hoped he could keep it.

He was torn between the reality that he understood and the dreamworld that he craved. The stuffed toys that were now in his room attested to the fact that there was always a possibility that maybe this was real. That she was real. He desperately wanted her to be real.

"By the way, Miley noticed there was something different about me today." Her voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Was it a bad different?" he asked, unknowingly echoing her earlier words.

"No, it's a good different. A very good different. I think it's confidence." She told him about what happened with Amber and Ashley, how she didn't respond to their catty remarks and ended up essentially beating them at their own game. "I think it's because of you. You give me confidence."

"It's been in you all along," he told her with a smile.

Lilly laughed. "You sound like a greeting card. But thank you. Oooh! Let's dance!" She got up and tugged at his hand.

"There's no music," he pointed out.

"Do we need any?" She pulled at his hand again and he got up.

"Good point." So they danced. They danced fast, they danced slow, he even taught her how to do a waltz. Or tried to, anyway.

"Where did you learn how to do this?" she asked, curious.

"When I was still in public school, I took a class in ballroom dance. I thought it would help me pick up the ladies," he said, dipping her back and waggling his eyebrows. She laughed.

"How's that one working out for you?"

He pulled her closer. "I've got you, don't I?"

"Strangely enough, you do." Her face turned serious. "Is it strange to fall for a dream?"

He stopped twirling her around and held her close. "I hope not. Because I am. Falling for you, that is." He felt her heart quicken against his chest and her breath hitched. Her eyes fluttered shut and he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. Then he kissed her again, slowly, deeply. He sunk into that kiss and lost himself in it. She abruptly pulled away.

"No," she murmured, as she held tighter to him. He knew she was waking up and he tried to hold on to her. "I never want to wake up. I want to stay here forever, with you."

"I want that, too." He kissed her again.

She snuggled into him. "I wish you were real," she whispered as she disappeared.

"I am," he said softly to the empty space in front of him. He stared at the spot where she had been. This sucked. He found the girl of his dreams, and she wasn't even real. He fingered the locket she had given him. He sat in the field and thought of her until he woke up.

He opened his eyes and he was lying in his bed. Nothing seemed different. His room was still the same; the purple monkey was sitting next to his bed, his laptop and papers were still scattered all over his desk, and his clothes were piled high in the laundry basket. But he felt different. There was a kind of despair in his heart at the thought of her. She wasn't real but he was in love with her. He sat up and felt something cold and metallic around his neck. He reached up, felt the locket, and shakily took it off. Joe opened it and found a tiny lock of golden hair and felt something swell within him.

It was hope.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! So Joe's slowly starting to realize that maybe Lilly is a real person. Lilly will start to realize that Joe is, too, and soon! I hope you guys liked it! Oh! And the song in the middle of the chapter is "Why Not" by Hilary Duff. And I know that Lilly can't really sing in the show, but I like Emily Osment's voice, and I also like taking artistic liberties. So I took some here. Whether it actually means anything to the story or not has yet to be determined.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought! Reviews make me happy :-)**

**Thanks for reading!  
-v**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4, in which Lilly realizes that it is not, in all actuality, just a dream. Whoa. Thanks for the reviews and everything. I haven't had a chance to respond to them yet, but I'll try to. But thanks again! They make me soooooo happy! Updates will be slowing down, but I'll try to update when I can. Thanks again!**

**Here's chapter 4, and I hope you like it!**

**I don't own the Jonas Brothers, or any of the other characters who appear in this story.**

**HMHMHMHMHM**

A couple of days later, Joe fidgeted nervously with the locket around his neck. He was sitting between Kevin and Nick waiting to do an interview for Teen Vogue. He was going to take this chance and find out once and for all if his dream girl was real. The locket and the lock of hair had made him 99.9 positive that she was, but he really wanted confirmation. So if she saw this interview and she mentioned it in their dream, she was real.

The interviewer walked in ad Joe took a breath. Here went everything…

After the interview, they had a photo shoot and Joe had talked to the photographer about incorporating certain elements into it from his dreams.

His brothers cornered him when he got home. He was heading to the bathroom when Nick pulled him into his room. Kevin was already sitting down on the Nick's bed.

"What's going on guys?" Joe asked, confused.

"We need to talk," Nick told him.

"We're worried about you," Kevin said. "You've been acting really strangely lately and we just want to know what's going on."

"You can talk to us, you know," Nick added.

Joe sighed and looked down. "Not about this, I can't. You guys will just think I'm crazy." His brothers started to protest. "No. You will definitely think I'm a 100 certified loon. I'm not hurting anybody; I'm not hurting myself. Isn't it enough to know that I'm happy?"

"It should be," Nick said quietly. "I don't know why it's not."

"Who is she?" Kevin asked gently.

Joe's head snapped up. "What?"

"So it's just a girl?" Nick was confused.

"It's not 'just a girl.' You should know that it's never 'just a girl.' And this situation happens to be more complicated than most. But we're making it work." Joe really didn't want to get into this with his brothers but he had a feeling that that wasn't going to happen.

"When did you meet her?" Kevin questioned.

Well, this was going to be complicated… "I haven't…not yet, anyway"

"You're happy with a girl that you haven't met yet?" Nick was trying to follow the conversation, but he was having a very hard time doing so.

"You'd better sit down," Joe told his younger brother. He slowly and haltingly explained to them meeting Lilly and their relationship and how he was sure that she actually existed outside of his imagination. His brothers were quiet for a moment, trying to process what Joe had just told them.

"So that's what was with the talk about lilies and sunflowers and stuff," Nick finally spoke up. A grin broke across his face. "You are so corny."

"Maybe a little," Joe said smiling. "But hopefully it will get the message across…"

"And that locket you're wearing now, it's from her?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Joe answered eagerly. "And the fact that it carried over into the real world gives me hope that she's a real person and that I can find her."

"Joe…are you even listening to yourself? Be reasonable—"

Joe cut Kevin off. "I am being reasonable. I'm being very reasonable. And I know that it's hard to believe. That's why I didn't even want to tell you guys to begin with! But I know in my heart that she's out there!"

"They're dreams, Joe. They aren't real."

"But what about the necklace?" Nick jumped in. "If it wasn't real, where would it have come from?"

Kevin sighed. "It could have come from anywhere. A fan, Grandma's old jewelry box, Mandy…Joe could have found it and just forgot that he put it on. Don't tell me you actually believe in this, Nick."

"I believe that Joe believes it. It's enough for me. It should be enough for you, too," the younger boy answered softly.

Joe looked at Kevin, practically pleading with him. "God, Kevin, I know I can be silly and stupid and irresponsible and irrational and all that. And the things that you're telling me, the doubts that you have, have all run through my head a million times, but I still believe it. Can you just please believe me?"

Kevin had never seen his brother so serious before. "I can't say that I can complete believe your story," he said after a moment. Joe's shoulders slumped. "But I do believe in you. So if you believe it, I'll trust that."

"Thank you," Joe whispered.

"Is there anything you need us to do?" Nick asked.

"Not right now. All I can do is wait and hope that she sees the article."

**HMHMHMHMHM**

After that first kiss from Joe, Lilly had been in seventh heaven After that first kiss, every night he would greet her with a kiss and then they'd talk or kiss some more or just lay next to each other, enjoying each others' nearness. Even though she thought he was just a dream, she couldn't help the fact that this dream made her happy. . Both in her dream world and in the real world. She didn't notice it, but apparently Miley had. They were hanging out at Miley's house a few weeks later when Miley finally snapped.

They were sitting on the couch, doing homework and Miley had gotten back Lilly was singing. That wasn't unusual, but she sounded good. She sounded _different_. A lot of things about her friend had been different lately and Miley wanted to know what was going on.

"Okay, Lilly, who's the guy?"

"The guy?"

"Yes, the guy. And why haven't you told me about him?"

"What him?" Lilly hoped that denial would throw Miley off the scent, so to speak. At least maybe it would make her drop it.

"Don't play dumb with me, Lilly Truscott." Okay, so that plan hadn't worked… "I am talking about the guy that put that perpetual grin on your face. The guy that's caused you to stop sleeping over or stay up late talking on the phone, even on weekends. The guy that you haven't been telling me about for the past two and a half weeks. That guy."

Lilly gave in. "Okay, so there is a guy."

"Ha! I knew it!" Miley crowed in triumph. "Who is it?"

"It's not really what you think, though."

"Then what is it?"

"It's complicated."

"Who is he?"

"He's…the guy of my dreams," Lilly tilted her head and grinned. "Literally."

Miley just gave her a look. "I'm not following."

"It's Joe Jonas."

"Haha. Cute. Seriously."

"I am being serious."

"No, you aren't."

"Yes, I am. Maybe I should explain." So Lilly told Miley about everything that had happened in her dreams…"meeting" Joe, talking to him (minus the stuff about her dad) and becoming friends, the boardwalk, the locket, the kiss, their relationship now….

"So he's part of the reason for this new…confidence in yourself?" Lilly nodded. "Then I whether or not he's actually real, I like him!" Lilly hugged her.

"I know it's dumb to be so emotionally invested in a dream, but I can't help it. He gets me and I think I get him and …Miley, are you listening?"

Her friend's eyes had suddenly widened and she sat up straighter. "Wait here," Miley said and she ran up to her room. A few minutes later, she came down with a magazine. "This came out today. Daddy picked it up for me and I was reading it before you got here."

It was Teen Vogue. The Jonas Brothers were on the cover, but Lilly barely had time to even glance at it when Miley started furiously flipping through pages. She came to the spread on the Jonas Brothers and she showed it to Lilly. "Here. Read this."

"The Jonas Brothers Talk Spring Fling?" Lilly looked quizzically at her friend.

"Read the parts with Joe," the other girl explained. Lilly looked down.

_Q. Since spring is coming and all, what's your favorite kind of flower?_

She skipped past Kevin and Nick's answers and went straight to Joe's and read it out loud.

"'My favorites definitely have to be lilies. Yeah, lilies are awesome because they're simple but complicated in their beauty. You might think you see a simple beauty at a glance, but the closer you look, the more complicated and beautiful it gets. Or sunflowers. I love sunflowers. They just make me really happy and it always brightens my day when I see one…' That could be a coincidence." Lilly looked a little shaken.

"Keep reading."

_Q. What's your idea of the perfect date?_

"'Definitely heading down to a boardwalk or a pier and just having fun playing games. It would be cool if she beat me at a few of the games, but in the end, I'd win her the big prize. Or maybe it would be just dancing in an open field. I love to dance.' Miley…" Lilly's hands were shaking now. She could barely hold the magazine, so Miley took it from her.

"There's just one more you should hear. Question: What would your dream girl be like? Joe's answer: 'Oh you know, the usual nice, smart, blah blah blah, but she would understand me…and she wouldn't want to conform to any type of stereotype; she wouldn't be afraid to show that she's better than me at some stuff, or a lot of stuff, really, but she wouldn't be mean about it. And she wouldn't be afraid to dance in a field of sunflowers when there's no music.' Lilly, are you okay?"

Lilly was sitting on the couch, looking pale. "It could all be a coincidence, right? I mean it's not possible…it's…"

"Look at the pictures, Lill." Reluctantly, she did. The first one was of the three Jonas boys lying in the grass, all holding sunflowers. There was an individual picture of Kevin, then one of Nick but it was the one of Joe that made her catch her breath. He was dressed all in black, leaning forward towards the camera; in one hand, he was holding a lily and in the other, he was holding out the chain of a necklace. And on that chain was a silver oval locket with a sapphire in the center.

"It's a coincidence," she whispered, trying to convince herself of that. This just defied reality.

"Lilly…"

"This isn't possible."

"But it's happening." Lilly wondered how her friend had just accepted this idea so completely. It was incredible, it was outlandish…

"But it's not possible. How is this possible?" Lilly was just staring ahead blankly. Joe was real? What did this mean for them? Did the whole magazine thing mean that he wanted to find her? But…how was it possible for a dream to be…real. She always believed that dreams did come true, but not literally. Oh God, what did this mean?

"Lilly?" Miley asked hesitantly. "I thought you'd be happy about this."

"I don't know – it's –I am happy but – I'm confused." Lilly picked up the remote and turned on the TV, trying to sort through the whole situation. Miley came to sit beside Lilly and put an arm around her. As fate would have it, the Jonas Brothers were on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. The two girls watched as the boys talk to Ellen, being their usual strange but sweet selves.

"So Joe," the host said a few minutes into the segment. "I notice that you're wearing a necklace. It's pretty."

Joe fiddled with the pendent and looked at it with a smile. "Yeah, yeah it is. It was a gift." Lilly sat up straighter. It couldn't be…

"Oooh, from anyone special? Like from a girlfriend? Wink wink," she asked with an exaggerated wink.

Joe laughed. "It was from a really good friend." He was still looking at the necklace, and the camera zoomed in on it. Lilly gasped. It was the locket. But his next words shocked her even more. "And her name is Lilly."

"Oh God," Lilly whispered. Both Miley's and Lilly's mouths dropped open from shock. Miley definitely had not been expecting him to come right out and say it.

She looked at her friend and realized that it was a very good thing that the blonde was already sitting down.

Lilly had fainted.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**So this one is slightly shorter than the other chapters, but I hope you liked it anyway. **

**Please review and let me know what you thought! With questions, comments on my writing/plot, constructive criticism. It all makes me happy.**

**And in a shameless plug, I'm also working on another Loe story called "Through Their Eyes," in case you guys wanted something else to read :-) It's Lilly and Joe's relationship told from their friends' point of view. I know a lot of people who read this one have been reading the other one, too, so thank you!**

**And thanks for reading!  
-v**


	5. Chapter 5

**So here's chapter five! Sorry it took forever, but school has been insane. And sorry again that I haven't been responding to reviews, but I just want you all to know that I really appreciate them! So thank you! And I'll try to respond to reviews for this chapter.**

**I don't own the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Lilly Truscott, or the Camp Rock lyrics that make an appearance (I really couldn't resist putting them in).**

**Here's chapter 5! I hope you like it!**

**HMHMHMHMHM**

"You're real!" she said accusingly that night in their little dream world. Joe was leaning back in the grass on his elbows, grinning up at her. He had arrived first that night and had been laying down, waiting for Lilly, when she suddenly appeared. She was a whirlwind of emotions, happiness, confusion and vexation written all over her face and she had stormed over to Joe and greeted him with her accusation.

"I had mentioned that," he drawled, amused, which clearly did not amuse Lilly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Like I'm going to listen to a figment of my imagination when it tells me it's real."

"And yet here I am, clearly not a figment of your imagination," he said seriously, sitting up straight. "And you're not one either." This seemed to take the fight out of her and she sat down between his legs, resting her head on his shoulder. Joe put his arms around her and kissed her on the top of her head. Lilly placed her hands on top of his and played with his fingers. "I told my brothers about you."

"And did they think you were insane?" Lilly asked with a smile.

"Kevin did. He was trying to find a logical explanation for everything."

"And Nick?"

"He accepted it, pretty much without questioning it. He had to add a smartass remark, though."

Lilly giggled. "You know, he'd be perfect for Miley. I told her today and she was behind me 100. She was actually the one that saw the article first and pointed everything out to me. And then we saw you on the Ellen Degeneres show and I practically fainted."

He turned to face her and raised an eyebrow. "Practically? You forget, I know you."

"Okay, okay. So I did faint. But only a little bit," she retorted defensively.

"How can you only faint a little bit? You either faint or you don't!"

"You know what I mean!"

Actually, he didn't. But for the sake of keeping peace, he pretended that he did. Instead of arguing, he leaned in to kiss her.

"So what now?" she whispered a few moments later, her head resting on his shoulder, his arms around her waist and her hands intertwined with his. "I mean, what does this all mean? What do we do?"

He thought for a moment. "I don't know…you know who I am, but I don't even know your full name."

"My name is Lilly—" she couldn't finish her sentence. Physically couldn't. She tried again. "My name is Lilly—Ugh! Why can't I say it?"

His arms tightened around her. "I don't know. I just know that we'll find each other. We have to."

Lilly hesitated and bit her lip. "Are you sure you really want to meet me?"

"Do you even have to ask?" he asked incredulously.

"Maybe we shouldn't," she whispered.

"What? Why? You can't be serious!" He sounded hurt and confused but Lilly refused to turn and look at him.

"I—just—what if I disappoint you? What if you actually meet me, face-to-face, and you realize that…you don't like me?"

"Lilly, look at me." She refused, but he gently cupped her face and turned her to face him. "You could never disappoint me. Even if you turned out to be a hunchbacked mute who hated the Jonas Brothers, I would totally still like you and I wouldn't be disappointed." Lilly giggled at this. "And what if you don't like me? In fact, what if you hate me? But if we don't try, we'll be wondering what if we had? I want to take the chance. Don't you?"

"I think so," she whispered and gently pressed her lips to his. "But I don't know what to do. I mean, I know I know who you are, but I can't imagine it will be easy to contact you or find you."

"Maybe you can come to a concert?" he suggested. "Are you in Southern California?"

"Yep."

"That's great! We'll be doing a few concerts in LA, San Diego and Irvine next week to kick off our tour. Maybe you can try to go to one of those?"

"I can't make any promises. Your shows are probably all sold out…but maybe my friend can get tickets to one."

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed excitedly. He gave her a brief kiss and tickled her sides, making her giggle. "I can't wait to see you!"

They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing and holding each other close.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

"EEEEEEEK! I'm excited and nervous and scared all at the same time!" Lilly squealed a few nights later, practically hyperventilating. She was sitting in the limo next to Miley – or rather, Hannah. Lilly herself was decked out in full Lola attire, although it was a bit more subdued than usual. She wore a white wig and a simple, but bright, purple dress that stopped at her knees. Hannah had been able to finagle some backstage passes from the Staples Center in LA, where the Jonas Brothers were performing that night.

"Okay, you're gonna need to caaaaalm down," Miley told the other girl, wrinkling her nose. "You won't get to meet him if you pass out."

"Right. You're right. But…EEEEEK!" Miley laughed at her friend and joined in the squealing. Truth be told, she was kind of looking forward to seeing Nick again. She hadn't seen him since they did that song together, back when she and Lilly had posed as Milo and Otis to get them away from her dad. He was so cute…

Robby Ray looked at the girls and covered his ears. "Now is the screaming really necessary?"

"Sorry, daddy," Miley said contritely. "We're just really excited."

"Yeah, well can you be excited a little quieter next time?"

The girls nodded and turned to each other. "Eeeeek!" they shrieked quietly.

Robby Ray sighed. "Never mind." When they got to Staples Center, the concert had already started (they were late because the girls had taken so long to get read…as usual). The girls rushed in ahead of Robby Ray.

"Do you think he'll recognize me like this?" Lilly whispered to her friend.

"I think so. Did you tell him that you might not look like you?" She and Lilly had spent a long time debating whether she should go as Lola or Lilly. Miley had been adamant about her going as Lilly, but the blonde was worried about the possibility of the media connecting Lilly to Miley, and Miley to Hannah if they saw Lilly and Hannah together. So she insisted as going as Lola.

"I did, but I didn't really give him specifics…" They went to one of the wings of the stage, arm in arm and watched the concert.

Lilly watched Joe, mesmerized. This was real. She was going to meet him! "Pinch me," she whispered out loud. "OUCH!!" She turned to her best friend and glared at her.

"What? You asked!" the other girl said innocently and grinned.

"You're funny. And by funny I mean not," Lilly playfully pouted. The girls couldn't really see the boys between sets. They had to run and around and change, and she didn't even know if Joe saw her._ Breathe, Lil,_ she told herself. _You'll see him after the concert and you can meet and we'll live happily ever after_.

But she was still nervous. What if something went wrong?

**HMHMHMHMHM**

"DUDE!!" Nick ran into their dressing room during a moment where they had to do a quick change. "Hannah Montana's here!" He had _the_ biggest crush on her and he was really excited that he was seeing her again. Maybe this time he could get out a little more than "Wow, you're pretty."

Joe nodded absentmindedly. "That's nice." He was trying to get into a pair of red and shiny tight pants and hoping against hope that he would see Lilly tonight. Getting into the pants was a little tighter than he thought. Was he gaining weight? He really needed to lay off the nachos and brownies…He thought again of Lilly. She had told him that she'd be here tonight. He felt apprehensive about all of this. She said that she'd look different, so what if he missed her? That would just be too much….to be so close and not meet.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Nick asked accusingly. "You're totally not paying attention to the fact that the potential love of my life is here, backstage, watching us perform!"

"Okay, okay we get it and we're very happy for you," Kevin interjected from the other side of the room where he was quickly shrugging on a vest. "But you need to hurry up and get dressed or we're gonna miss our cue!"

Nick pouted, but did as he was told. They were all ready in a few moments and they hurried on to the stage. Joe absentmindedly noted Hannah standing there in the wings with a white-haired girl. _Kind of weird,_ he thought. But then the girl turned around and the breath was almost knocked out of him from the shock. It took him a second to realize it, but it was _her_! It was Lilly!

Joe grabbed Nick's arm and pointed. "Look!" he said urgently.

Nick rolled his eyes. "I already know. I told you she was here!" he whined.

"No, not Hannah. Her friend! It's Lilly!"

Nick squinted. "I don't think so. That's Hannah's friend Lola. I've seen them together in magazines."

"I'm telling you, it's Lilly!" Joe insisted.

"Come on guys, hurry up!" Kevin called out to them, clearly getting annoyed. Joe wanted to run up to her, to talk to her, but he knew they had an audience waiting. Instead, he grabbed Nick by the arm and dragged him along as he ran to catch up with the oldest Jonas.

"She's here, Kev," Joe told him breathlessly.

"What?"

"She's here. And you know that song I played for you guys earlier?" Joe's brothers nodded. "Can we make a few changes in our set?"

The boys talked for a moment, then rushed on stage. While Nick and Joe went to consult with their band, Kevin grabbed his acoustic guitar and a microphone.

"Thank you all so much for coming out tonight! Since you guys have been such an amazing audience, we thought we'd do something special for you." Kevin's announcement was greeted by screaming and cheering. "Joe wrote a new song a few days ago, and you guys are going to be the first ones to hear it! So I hope you like it!"

Three stools were placed at the center of the stage with a mic stand in front of each of them. Joe was in the center, with Kevin to his right and Nick to his left. Joe and Kevin each had guitars.

Joe adjusted the microphone and said, "This is a song I wrote for a good friend of mine. I hope you guys enjoy it." He looked to the side of the stage where he had seen Lilly and started playing. He sang,

"Everytime I think I'm close to the heart  
Of what it means to know just who I am  
I think I've finally found a better place to start  
Where no one ever seems to understand  
I need to try to get to where you are  
Could it be you're not that far?  
You're the voice I hear inside my head  
The reason that I'm singing  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you"

Kevin and Nick joined in for different parts of the rest of the song, and Joe's eyes met Lilly's. He was singing to her and he knew that she understood. She smiled at him and he felt his heart skip a beat. When the song was over, he wanted to rush off stage and just kiss her until they both turned blue, but they had a set to finish and the concert would be over soon, so he resisted the urge.

They performed their last song and as soon as he could, he ran off stage. He looked for her, but she was nowhere to be found. He waited and waited, hoping that she would appear but he couldn't find her or Hannah. An hour later, he dejectedly went back into his dressing room.

"There you are!" Nick exclaimed. "There's a note here from you. It's from Lilly."

Joe's heart was practically pounding in his throat. He was reaching for the note when Nick suddenly swung his arm around reaching for something and knocked over a soda. Onto the note.

"Oh crap! I'm sorry!" Nick grabbed a towel and tried to wipe it up as quickly as possible, but he only ended up smearing some of the words.

When Joe finally got a hold of it, he could only read about half of it.

"Dear Joe,

I'm so sorry that I couldn't --. A problem -- with – family. But I just wanted to let you know that my name is Lilly Tr--t and I'd really love it if you -- call. My numbe-- 310-2--. I'm really so sorry. --problems -- brother -- father. I'll see you tonight?

Love,

Lilly"

She gave him her phone number. She was expecting him to call her. She gave him her phone number. And he couldn't even read it now. Now what was he going to do?

**HMHMHMHMHM**

Lilly was watching Joe perform their new song. It was amazing. He was amazing, and she was filled with this wonderful sense of anticipation. Finally. It was going to happen.

The boys were on their last set of songs when her phone rang. She looked to see who it was and the happiness she felt inside dimmed a bit. It was her dad. "I'd better take this," she said to Miley and walked several yards away. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to greet your father?" the voice on the other line demanded.

"You're not my father. You were just the sperm donor," she snapped. "Now what do you want?"

"You're brother's gone missing." Her dad didn't sound at all concerned. He simply sounded outraged.

"What?" she exclaimed in shock. This wasn't happening. As much as she disliked her father, she loved her brother. A lot. Bobby was a year older than her and before her mom and dad divorced, they had been best friends. He still called at least once a week and they would talk forever. She was terribly worried. "How long has he been missing?"

"Three days."

"Three days? THREE DAYS? And you're just calling us NOW?" Lilly was worried and furious all at the same time.

"Yeah, well he does this from time to time. He'll disappear for a day or two, but I think this time he's run away. I'm calling you so you can call Heather."

"You didn't tell mom? Are you insane?"

"Whatever. Just tell her to call me if he turns up." And he hung up.

Lilly immediately called her mom. "Mom, Bobby's missing," she said when Heather answered the phone.

"Can you come home?" her mom asked.

"Mom, didn't you hear me? Bobby's missing!" Lilly was practically shouting by this time.

"I know. And I need you to come home."

"What's going on?" Lilly demanded. Her heart was racing and she felt panic rising in her.

Heather hesitated. "He's here. Bobby's here."

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**So there's chapter five. More drama! Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun! **

**I'm sorry it took forever, but I hope you guys like it! I'm not sure if I ever mentioned Lilly's age, but I was thinking 14 or 15, so her brother would still be a minor. I went back and reread the other chapters I wrote, but if there are any glaring contradictions, let me know and I'll fix them. I just wanted to get another chapter up and posted because I haven't updated in a really long time.**

**This story and "Through Their Eyes" are probably going to be on hiatus for a while. "Through Their Eyes" might be updated in the next couple of weeks, but the semester's coming to an end so that means finals are coming up and then I'm heading to New Zealand for a couple of weeks with my choir (exciting!). I'll try to update when I can but I can't make any promises. Thanks all for being patient with me, and thanks for reading!**

**Please review and let me know what you thought! With questions, comments on my writing/plot, constructive criticism. It all makes me happy.**

**Thanks for reading!  
-v**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I'm super super super super sorry about the long gap between updates. I'm not sure if I'm 100 happy with this particular chapter, but it's now here! Yay chapter 6! I hope it was worth the wait! I also want to thank you guys again so much for the reviews/favorites/alerts and everything! It really does mean the world to me and it definitely motivates me to keep writing. So thank you all!**

**So here's chapter 6! It's not as long as some of the other chapters, but I hope you guys enjoy! Oh! And just as a warning, there is a tiny bit of mild language usage in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers not mine. Sad.**

**HMHMHMHM**

The limo ride back to the Truscott house was tense and anxious. Lilly was silent, fiddling with her white wig, which she had set on her lap. Robby Ray and Miley weren't exactly sure of what was going on, but for Lilly to be acting this way, it had to be serious. Neither of them asked, however. But in the end, they didn't have to.

"My dad called," Lilly said quietly when they were almost at her house. Miley sat up straighter. Although Lilly didn't really talk about her dad much, whenever she did it was obvious that he was a sore subject. And by the look on Lilly's face tonight when he called, it was also obvious that Lilly didn't want to talk to him.

"Is everything alright?" Miley prompted when Lilly fell silent.

"My brother ran away," she whispered.

Miley's jaw dropped and she put her arm around her best friend. "Oh my gosh! When?"

"Three days ago," Lilly responded fiercely, her voice no longer quiet and her eyes blazing in anger.

"Sweet niblets!" Robby Ray exclaimed in horror. "And your daddy's just calling you about it now?"

Lilly's face contorted into a mirthless smile. "My dad isn't exactly a nice or caring man. But Bobby's okay. He's here. That's why I needed to go home. Sorry for dragging you guys away from the concert."

Tightening her arm around her friend, Miley brushed aside that particular concern. "Please, it's one concert. Family is much more important. And your family is our family."

"Thanks," Lilly responded with a weak smile. Just then the limo pulled to a stop in front of Lilly's house and she quickly unbuckled her seat belt and ran to the house just as the door opened. It was her mother. "Where is he?" Lilly asked anxiously. Heather stepped out of the doorway, revealing Lilly's brother sitting in the living room, his elbows resting on his knees and his head down.

Lilly flew across the room to her brother, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. She felt him tense up and breathe in sharply. Quickly she pulled away. "Oh my gosh, did I hurt you?"

"It's okay, Lee." Bobby was the only one who ever called her that. He thought it was far more creative than "Lil" or "Lilz" and he really wanted to be different. "Everything's okay."

"Why are you here?" she asked, barely registering the fact that Robby Ray and Miley (sans the Hannah wig) were talking to her mother by the door. "Not that I don't want you here, but what's going on? I was so worried about you!"

Bobby grimaced. "It's dad. He's always been a mean bastard, but he started drinking recently and I found out that he's a mean drunk, too."

Lilly gasped. "He hit you?"

Bobby nodded. "One time. That's when I got out of there. I still have bruises on my ribs, but nothing too bad. And I didn't have much money on me, but I found a way to get to Grandma Truscott and she paid for my plane ticket here. She won't tell dad where I am."

"Good. But what are _we_ going to tell him?" Lilly asked.

"We're not going to tell him anything," Bobby replied, looking at her in confusion.

"But he's actually looking for you! He even _called_ me! What if he suspects that you're here?" Lilly retorted. "I mean, where else would you try to go?"

"I don't know! Lie to him!" Bobby insisted.

"Oh yeah, and I'm the world's best liar!" she snorted derisively. "He'll know something's up the minute I open my mouth!"

"I can't go back, Lee. And if he finds me, I'll have to!" he shouted. "Please?"

Lilly looked bewildered. "Isn't there someone we can talk to? A judge? A social worker?"

"I can't prove anything, though. And it was just that one time. What if they don't believe me? What if it's not enough? I just can't take that chance." Bobby looked at her with pleading eyes. Heather came over and put an arm around both her children.

"Mom," Lilly whispered. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, honey," Heather sighed. "I just don't know."

"I don't mean to butt into a family matter," Robby Ray cut in. The Truscotts had completely forgotten that the Stewarts were still there. "But you might need to tell him eventually. He could take some legal action against you for child abduction."

"Child abduction? I'm 15 and I came here on my own!" Bobby protested.

"But you're still a minor, son, legally under your father's care. Now I don't like it anymore than you do, but the law's the law," Robby Ray said gently.

"What are we going to do?" Bobby asked, echoing Lilly's earlier words. He looked defeated.

"Maybe you could call him. Don't tell him where you are, just tell him that you're safe," Robby Ray suggested. "Put him off for a few days, and I can call my lawyer tomorrow and see if there's any legal action that ya'll can take. After we know what's goin' on legally, we can plan from there."

"Thank you," Heather exclaimed, getting up and giving Robby Ray a hug. Bobby and Lilly both looked relieved. But then Bobby just looked confused.

"Uh…mom? Who is this guy?" Bobby asked, finally registering the fact that he did not in fact know this man.

"Oh! This is Robby Ray Stewart, Miley's dad," Lilly introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," he said carefully, getting up and shaking Robby Ray's hand. "And uh…who's Miley?"

"I'm Miley, Lilly's best friend," Miley answered brightly, seemingly popping out of nowhere. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too." He shook her hand as well, flashed her a brief smile and, unsure of what else to say to the girls, went to go talk to his mom.

Miley went over to talk to Lilly, who was standing next to the window across. They stood in silence for a little while until Miley broke it.

"You didn't tell me your brother was so cute?" Miley demanded in a stage whisper. Since they now had somewhat of a plan of action, it felt like a weight had been lifted from the room and the mood was much lighter.

"Hey!" Lilly said in mock outrage. "Eyes off the brother! Besides, what would Nick think?"

A faint blush tinged Miley's cheeks. "I—uh—oh shush! Nick Jonas has no say over my love life! In fact, the only thing he ever says to me is, 'Wow, you're pretty.'" Lilly laughed at her friend. "Shush. And while that's nice, I'd like to have an actual conversation with the boy!"

"Nick Jonas? You know Nick Jonas?" A voice behind them asked. Both girls whirled around and saw Bobby there. Apparently he had gotten bored with the adults and came to talk to the two girls and heard the last part of their conversation.

"Uh—uh—no. I mean yes. I mean kind of…I saw him at an autograph signing here in Malibu and uh—he thought I was pretty…" Miley stammered lamely.

"Oh, well that's cool." Bobby peered out the window. "Hey, what's with the limo out front? Does someone famous live on our street?"

"Limo?" Lilly squeaked in panic. "Uh—yeah. Well, they don't _live_ here, they probably just came to visit their sick grandma."

"Oh? Who is it? Old Mrs. Pettigrew two doors down?" Bobby asked curiously.

"Did I say sick grandma?" she hedged as Miley groaned. "I meant sick grandma's cat who someone's cat sitting while the grandma is recuperating from hip surgery and—uh—oh look, something shiny!" And while her brother was distracted, she grabbed Miley and dragged her over to the parents.

"Sick grandma's cat? Is that the best you could think of?" Miley hissed.

"Well let's see you come up with something better!" Lilly retorted with a glare. "Besides, it's completely plausible that someone famous is visiting their sick grandma's cat at 11:30 at night…" The sentence hadn't even completely left Lilly's mouth before they both realized how ridiculous it sounded and started giggling uncontrollably as they walked towards the parents.

"Thank you so much for helping my brother, Mr. Stewart," Lilly said once the girls reached the adults.

"It's no problem, Lilly. Like Miley said earlier, you're family and – oh sweet niblets! Speaking of family, I forgot to call Jackson!" Robby Ray exclaimed in panic. He was about to rush out of the house when Miley put a restraining arm on his shoulder.

"Relax, big boy. I called him earlier. He knows that there's something important going on, and that we'll explain it to him later," she told him.

"Oh. Well that's good then," Robby Ray said. Then he looked at his watch. "But it's getting late. We'd better go." He and Miley said bye to everyone, and before Robby Ray left he told Heather, "I'll call ya'll tomorrow afternoon and let you know what my lawyer says."

The two left (Lilly distracted Bobby while the Stewarts got into the limo and left) and Lilly yawned hugely. She hadn't realized how tired she was until that moment, so she hugged her brother and mother good night.

"I'm glad you're here, Bee," she whispered into his chest as she gave him a goodnight hug.

"I'm glad I'm here, too, Lee," he said with a smile. "Good night."

"Goodnight, Bobby! Good night, mom!" And with that, she went to her room.

As soon as Lilly was out of earshot, Bobby remarked to his mom, "You know, that Robby Ray guy is pretty nice."

Heather smiled. "He is, isn't he?"

"Maybe you should try dating him," he suggested, only half teasing.

"We tried that already. It didn't work," Heather said wistfully.

Bobby noted the almost regretful expression on his mother's face. _Interesting,_ he thought. Giving her a kiss on the top of her head, he wished her goodnight and started off towards the guest room where he'd be staying. But before he disappeared from Heather's line of sight, he turned around and gave his mother an appraising look. "Hey mom, maybe you should try again."

Meanwhile, in Lilly's room she lay awake in bed thinking about all that happened today. Bobby coming home, finding out that her father hit him, almost meeting Joe…Lilly's heart sank at the thought of him. She hoped he got her note. It was almost painful to think how close they were to finally meeting…but they'd meet soon and it would be fine. Everything was going to be okay. She was sure of it. On that resolute thought, Lilly drifted off to sleep.

Soon after, Lilly found herself in that oh-so-familiar sunflower field. Joe was already there, lying down in the field, staring up at the sky. He sat up and smiled when he sensed her presence.

"Just to be certain," he began. "You _were_ the girl with the white wig, right?"

Lilly giggled and went to sit next to him. "Yes. That was me in all of my insane glory. Great concert, by the way. Sorry I had to leave early." She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"It's okay. I know it had to be important. Is everything alright?" Joe asked in concern.

"It will be," she said with a confident smile as she stood up and quickly repositioned herself so that she was sitting in between Joe's outstretched legs. Joe wrapped his arms tightly around her and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Did you get my note?" she asked.

Joe's face fell. "I did, but my ever-so-brilliant brother spilled soda on it. I could only make out half of it…like 'family' and 'emergency', so I knew whatever you left for was serious."

"It is. Remember how I told you about my brother and my dad?" Joe nodded. "Well apparently my dad hit my brother, so Bobby ran away and came to our house tonight."

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah," Lilly sighed. "And he's staying with us. Miley's dad is going to help us iron out the legal issues. My dad may have only hit Bobby once, but there's no way we're letting him get the chance to do it again."

"Good." Joe nodded decisively to emphasize his point.

"But let's talk about happier things. Bobby's gonna be alright. Everything's going to be alright." She paused, and then grinned. "Sooooo are you gonna call me tomorrow?"

Joe groaned. "I can't. After Nick spilled the soda on it, your number was pretty hard to read."

"Oh." Lilly frowned. "That's okay. I'm sure we'll find each other somehow."

"Don't worry, I'll find you." His arms tightened around her and Lilly smiled.

"I know you will."

**HMHMHMHM**

**So yeah, that's chapter 6! I hope you guys enjoyed it. This fic is winding down, so there are only a few chapters left! Exciting, I know.**

**I'm not really well versed in legalese and law terms and specifics of the law, but if there's anything just flat out wrong with the legal issues I brought up, let me know and I'll fix it right away. And as for the domestic abuse issue, I don't want to make it seem like the Truscotts and the Stewarts are taking it too lightly, but at the same time I didn't want the chapter to be too dark and brooding. But rest assured, in this story they all think that it's a pretty big deal. They just don't seemed overly concerned because Bobby's safe with them, and they're gonna fight like hell to keep it that way. Um, I think that's it for author's notes.**

**I'd love it if you guys reviewed, with comments, questions, suggestions…anything. Constructive criticism is awesome!**

**Thanks for reading!  
-v**


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Joe woke up to Nick bursting into his bedroom excitedly

**I know I said that there would probably be a few chapters left, but I think that this is actually the last one. Ahh! I was just able to say all that I needed to say in this and so I don't feel like I need to write more chapters to make it complete, and while writing it, it **_**felt**_** like the last chapter. After this, there'll be an epilogue and that'll be it for this story! Thank you all for stinking with me! I just wanted to say that I loved all the reviews and I appreciate them more than I can say. You guys rock!**

**So this chapter is super long, but I hope you guys don't mind. Thanks again, guys!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Jonas Brothers or the characters from Hannah Montana.**

**HMHMHMHMHM **

The next morning, Joe woke up to Nick bursting into his bedroom excitedly. "She lives in Malibu!" the younger boy exclaimed in triumph.

"Eh?" The older boy was still groggy and half asleep.

"Lilly. She lives in Malibu!"

Well that definitely woke Joe up. "How do you know?"

"The phone number on the note. The rest of the number may have been messed up, but the area code was still there," Nick explained. "I felt so bad about ruining the note, that I googled the area code, and it listed several cities like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Malibu…but then I saw something really familiar on the Malibu wikipedia site...I remember a couple of days ago you asked what 'Zuma' was because Lilly had mentioned that she loved it. Turns out it's a beach. In Malibu. I'm pretty sure that's where she is."

When Nick was done with his explanation, Joe just blinked at his brother. "Wow. You really felt guilty."

Nick just made a face at him. "Now there are three high schools in Malibu. Maybe if we visit there we can find her!" His face suddenly fell. "Unless…unless she's home schooled."

"She's not home schooled," Joe affirmed. A sense of hope was burgeoning within him and although he was trying not to get too excited, he couldn't help it. "She mentioned these mean girls at school."

"Okay, so the three schools are Malibu High, St. Matthew High, and Seaview High. She has to be at one of them!"

"Hey, it's a Wednesday! That means there's school! Let's go. Today. Now." Joe jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed while Nick went down to explain the situation to Kevin.

"You're gonna get the girl now, aren't you?" Frankie asked, leaning on the doorframe of Joe's room.

Joe turned and smiled at his little brother. Frankie knew all about Lilly. Joe felt that it would be wrong to not tell him the whole Lilly story when Kevin and Nick knew, so Joe told him. And, bless his young and innocent heart, he accepted the whole thing without doubt or hesitation.

"Yeah, Frank. Yeah, I am."

The little boy entered the room, grinning widely. "Can I come, too?"

Joe was about to open his mouth to answer when their mom poked her head into the room. "Frankie, I told you yesterday that if you want to go on the tour with your brothers you have start packing!"

Frankie groaned. "Aw, mom, we still have _two days_ to do all that stuff!"

Mrs. Jonas placed her hands on her hips and gave her youngest son a stern look. "I know you, Frankie, and if you don't do it now you're never going to! So let's go. I'll help you."

"Fine," Frankie grumbled as he began to exit the room behind his mother.

"Sorry," Joe mouthed to his brother when the boy turned to look at him. He ran back and gave Joe a hug.

"Good luck," he whispered.

"Thanks," Joe whispered back. And with that the little boy rushed out of the room after his mom.

"Joseph!" Mrs. Jonas's voice called out. "Make sure that you're all packed, too. I don't want anything to be last minute, this time!"

"Okay, Mom!" Joe shouted back. "I have to remember to do that when I get back," he muttered to himself. Rushing down the stairs, he found Kevin and Nick waiting for him out by the car.

Kevin got into the driver's seat, and Joe got shotgun, leaving Nick to sit in the back. When everyone was all settled, Kevin asked, "So what's the game plan?"

"Well it's about a 50 minute drive to St. Matthew High School. It's the farthest school, but I figured since that's the biggest we should start there," Nick suggested.

"How about we go to whichever one is closest first? That way we don't drive all the way to the farthest school if we don't have to," Kevin said instead. His brothers agreed that it was a pretty good plan,

"So the closest one is…Malibu High," Nick read off.

The drive to Malibu seemed to take _forever_ to Joe. There was just this funny feeling of anticipation building in his stomach and he was just afraid that something else was going to go wrong. What if he didn't find her? He was going on a four-month tour in two days and if he didn't find her now, then it would take them forever to meet! What if they never did? Joe shook off that unpleasant thought. They were going to meet. They had to. His heart lurched as they neared the school. _This could be it_, he thought. _She could be here_.

Turned out she wasn't, because even if she went to that school, some pipes in the building had burst. The entire school was flooded and classes were cancelled for the next couple of days.

"So maybe we should have called these schools first," Kevin groaned.

"Oh, well that helps _now_," Joe muttered sourly. It wasn't that he was mad at Kevin; it was just that he had gotten his hopes up and he didn't even know if she went here or not, and if she did…

"Hey, don't worry," Kevin said gently, breaking the other boy out of his melancholy thoughts. "We'll find her. What's next?"

"Next is Seaview. It's about half an hour away," Nick instructed. After a forty-five minute drive (they got lost), the boys pulled into the Seaview parking lot. By then it was about 10:30 a.m. and Joe was getting antsy. Before exiting the car, the boys donned hats in an attempt to at least somewhat disguise themselves. Then they headed over to Seaview's front office.

"Hi," Kevin said in his most responsible voice to the woman at the front desk. She was sitting in front of a computer, wearing a nametag that read 'Beth Alcott'. "I'm looking for a girl named Lilly."

The receptionist looked skeptical. "Do you have a last name to go with that?"

"Uh…um…uh…" Joe stammered, unsure of what to say. He just decided to go with the truth. "Well we don't actually _know_ her last name but we were hoping that if she _does_ go to this school that maybe we could just see her? Or even if you could just give us her last name so we can find her later…"

"Look, if you aren't her legal guardian or even family, we can't give you any information," Mrs. Alcott said.

Nick looked quickly around the office noticing that there weren't many people there. "Listen," he whispered, taking off his hat. "We're the Jonas Brothers."

The woman's eyes widened. "My daughters love you!" she exclaimed.

"Shhhh!" Nick hushed frantically. "Thank you. And we'll be happy to sign an autograph or take a picture with you later, if you want. But first we need to find this girl."

"See, my brother Joe," Kevin began, gesturing to the middle brother. "Met this girl at a concert last night and he really, really likes her. But we only know her first name and that she lives in Malibu and that she goes to Seaview. He'd just really like to talk to her, so if you could help us out that would be great and we would be so grateful."

The woman bit her lip. "Well, I'm not really supposed to do this…"

"Please," Joe pleaded. "I just need to talk to her. Please?"

"Alright," she relented. "You said her name was Lilly?" At Joe's nod she typed something in. "There are 3 L-i-l-y's, 1 L-i-l-l-y, 2 L-i-l-l-e-e's, 1 L-i-l-i, 1 L-i-l-l-i, 5 Lillians, and, just so we've covered all of our bases, 2 girls with the last name that is some variation of 'Lily', So that makes 15, in all."

Joe's face fell.

"Is there any way we can narrow that list down?" Kevin asked.

"We can narrow it down by year. Do you know what grade she's in?" Mrs. Alcott questioned.

Joe's face brightened. "She's a freshman."

She typed something else into the computer. "Okay, so that eliminates…9. Any other distinguishing characteristics? Maybe a teacher name or a class or…anything?"

Joe concentrated really hard, trying to think of something. Anything.

"Wait…her friends name is pretty distinctive," Nick pointed out. "What was it again?"

"Hold that thought," Mrs. Alcott said, her voice tinged with exasperation as she spotted a brunette girl entering the office. The girl walked up to Mrs. Alcott's desk. "Ms. Stewart, did you fall asleep in class _again_?"

The girl's eyes widened and she tried to look innocent. "It's not my fault, Mrs. Alcott! A friend was having…family problems last night and we stayed up late trying to help her!"

"Be that as it may, you can't keep doing this," the older woman reprimanded.

"But it was really an emergency!" the girl protested. Mrs. Alcott scowled at the girl for a moment before her expression softened.

"Fine. Go on back to class. I'll talk to the principal about it, but next time…well, just make sure that there isn't a next time, Miley," Mrs. Alcott scolded and turned back to the boys, who had been watching the entire exchange.

"That's the name! Her friend's name is Miley!" Nick exclaimed. The girl turned to look at him and she had to do a double take.

"Nick! What are you doing here?" she asked excitedly.

"Uh, do I know you?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. She was pretty…and she looked really familiar.

The girl turned bright red. "Um…no. I meant to say…'Oh my gosh, Nick Jonas! What are you doing at our school?'" she stuttered lamely.

"Oh," was all Nick could say. Why did he get the niggling feeling that he actually had met her before?

They stared at each other for a moment until her gaze suddenly shot to Joe and her eyes widened. "Are you looking for Lilly?"

"Yes!" Joe practically shouted, his heart swelling. "Is she here?"

"Not today," she whispered, glancing furtively at Mrs. Alcott.

"Is it because of her brother?" Joe whispered back. Miley looked stunned.

"I was going to ask how you knew but never mind…. Her mom said she could stay home today to be with him," she explained in a low voice. "But if you meet me here after school, I can take you to her house. I'm going there anyway."

"Yes! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Joe exclaimed exuberantly, picking Miley up and spinning her in a circle. Mrs. Alcott, who couldn't hear their entire conversation, gave them a strange look.

"We'll be back," Nick promised Miley as Joe put her down. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. Alcott!"

The boys exited the office and parted ways with Miley, all lighter at heart than they had been all day. It was all going to work out.

**HMHMHMHM**

Lilly woke up late that morning. When her alarm had gone off earlier to get her up for school, Heather had told her that she didn't have to go and that she could sleep in, which was why Lilly was getting out of bed at 11:00 a.m. Hearing the sounds of her family downstairs, she smiled.

Her family.

It was a nice thought. For the past few years it had just been her and her mom, and while that was nice, it was great to have her brother home. It seemed like everything was getting better. Her family was coming together again, she had amazing friends, and then there was Joe…Just thinking about him made her grin like an idiot.

Taking her time getting ready, she stood in front of her closet after her shower, smiling as she pulled out the yellow dress she had bought with Miley. With her optimistic outlook on the day, it was definitely time to wear it.

Her mother and brother were talking in the kitchen when she walked in. "Whoa," Bobby gasped when he saw her, making Lilly feel a bit self-conscious.

"Does it look bad?" she asked anxiously.

"Don't be silly, Lilly," Bobby replied honestly. "Hey, that rhymes! Um…sorry, back to the topic…it's just different."

Lilly cocked her head to the side. "I've been getting that a lot lately," she mused.

"But it isn't a bad thing," Heather remarked, walking over to her daughter and ruffling her hair affectionately. "Robby Ray is coming over at 1:30 to let us know about what's going on with Bobby."

"That's great!" Lilly exclaimed, sitting down to breakfast (or rather, lunch). She got sucked into conversation with Bobby and their mom and before they knew it, it was 1:30 and the doorbell was ringing.

"I'll get it!" Heather declared, jumping out of her seat. Her children exchanged a look as they noticed her surreptitiously smooth down her hair and brush away imaginary bits of lint on her clothing.

"I hope you don't mind," Lilly heard Robby Ray's voice saying as he and Heather walked into the kitchen. "But I told Miley to come straight here after school so that she could bring Lilly the homework she missed."

Lilly inwardly groaned about having to do schoolwork as her mother replied with a, "That's no problem at all. Thanks for doing that and…for everything."

Robby Ray smiled at Heather. "It's really no problem." The two stood there, just smiling at each other until Bobby loudly cleared his throat. Both adults blushed. "Oh…um…about your case. If your daddy hit you, Bobby, you can definitely make a case for staying here with your mom. We'll have to schedule an appointment with my lawyer and we can work out the kinks. She'll be more than happy to take your case."

Bobby's face brightened then quickly fell again. "Do we have to tell dad that I'm here?"

"I'm afraid so, son," Robby Ray responded with a grimace. It was clear that he didn't like the idea any more than the Truscotts did. "But if we meet with the lawyer and the social worker today, we can get a court injunction to let you stay here. That should be easy, considering your daddy's in Florida."

They spent the next hour going over particulars of the case, with Bobby going through his time with his dad with the adults picking up on anything that could be considered physical or emotional abuse. Lilly did the same, just in case they would need to strengthen her brother's case.

"I think we've covered all we need to on this front," Robby Ray declared at around 2:45. Right on cue, his cell phone rang. "I need to take this call. I'll be right back."

"You can talk in the back yard, if you want," Heather suggested. Robby Ray nodded and exited using the glass sliding doors leading into the back. He hadn't been gone for more than a few minutes when the doorbell rang again.

Lilly bounded to her feet. "That's probably Miley. I'll go get it." She practically skipped to the door. "I hope you managed to lose my homework along the way," she joked as she opened the door. But it wasn't Miley.

It was a boy. He was tall and wearing a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head, obscuring his face. The huge sunglasses he was wearing didn't help identify him to her either.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"I hope so," the boy said. Lilly's heart raced as she recognized that voice. A smile spread across her face. After waiting for so long, the moment was finally here. _He _was finally here, standing a little more than a foot in front of her. He moved closer. "I'm looking for a certain blonde and I was hoping you could help me."

"How do I know you aren't an axe murderer?" she asked shakily.

Joe pushed back his hood, tossed aside his sunglasses and taking a step forward. "You know, we really need to do something about this obsession of yours…"

"Yeah, maybe you can help me with that," Lilly whispered, taking a step forward herself. They were both shy, tentative, afraid that this moment wasn't real. Joe reached out an unsteady hand and gently brushed his fingers against her cheek. A shiver ran down her spine at the touch of his hand and a feeling of utter happiness settled within her. This might have been the first time that they'd actually been together in real life, but it felt like forever. She knew his face, his eyes, his touch. She knew _him_ and it all just felt…right.

"If this isn't real, I think I'll die," he whispered softly, closing the distance between them and leaning in to kiss her.

"Lilly, Miley, where –" Bobby's question died on his lips when he saw Joe and Lilly standing there. "Who's this?" he demanded, standing in the living room and crossing his arms across his chest, glaring at the offending boy, who was standing far too close to his sister.

Lilly rolled her eyes at her brother. "Oh don't go all 'protective older brother' on me. This is Joe. I met him at the concert I was at last night," she explained. Taking Joe's hand in hers, she pulled him into the house and dragged him over to her brother.

"Wait, you were at a Jonas Brothers concert last night. There couldn't have been that many guys…oh!"

Lilly giggled as she could practically see the light bulb go on in Bobby's head. "Joe, meet my brother Bobby. Bobby, this is Joe Jonas."

Joe politely shook Bobby's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said warmly.

"I—I mean you—I mean—you're Joe Jonas!" Bobby exclaimed excitedly. While he wasn't really a huge fan, it was still pretty sweet to meet someone famous.

"I am," Joe agreed. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He over to the door and called out, "Hey guys! You can come out now!"

A few moments later, Miley, Nick, and Kevin walked into the house. "Hey ya'll!" Miley greeted enthusiastically. Nick noticed that she smiled really brightly at Bobby and that bothered him a lot more than he'd like to let himself think.

Kevin walked up to Lilly and gave her a big hug. "You must be Lilly. It's so nice to finally meet you."

"It's great to meet you, too," Lilly said with a smile. Nick came up to hug her next and then Joe was back by her side, his hand in hers once again.

Heather walked in just then. "Lilly, did you invite people over without –" She broke off in the middle of her sentence and stared at the boys blankly. "The Jonas Brothers are in our living room."

"They are. Meet Kevin, Joe and Nick," Lilly introduced. They all sat down, Lilly next to Joe on the love seat, Miley between Kevin and Nick on the long couch, while Heather sat in an armchair with Bobby perched on one of the arms.

They talked for a little while about everything, mostly with Bobby and Heather asking questions about the Jonases life as superstars. About fifteen minutes later, Robby Ray came rushing in, barely registering the fact that the Jonas boys were in the house.

"My lawyer needs us to come in right now," he declared. "About Bobby."

Heather jumped up, and looked at her guests. "I'm sorry we have to leave you like this, but it's an emergency. Lilly, honey, you'll be okay without us home, right?"

"I'll be fine. You guys go ahead," Lilly urged. A minute later, Bobby, Robby Ray and Heather were gone.

As soon she closed and locked the door behind them, Lilly turned to the boys. "So how did you find me? I mean you didn't have my last name or my number or anything. You didn't even know where I lived!"

Joe chuckled. "Well, we did have part of your number. We knew your area code and we pieced together some information that I remembered from our dream meetings to figure out you lived in Malibu."

From there the boys alternately explained how they ended up finding her.

"Wow," Lilly murmured in amazement. "You guys are awesome! But…why didn't you just ask Hannah?"

The boys blinked at each other.

"I—we didn't actually think of that," Nick responded honestly. The girls giggled as the boys blushed a bit. Soon the conversation turned to other things, and Miley got into a heated debate with Kevin and Nick about guitars (she had told them that she was a musician, but not that she was Hannah Montana).

"I'm glad we did it this way, instead, though," Joe told Lilly as she sat down next to him. He put his arm around her and she cuddled against his side.

"Is that so?" Lilly asked teasingly.

"Yeah. It made it feel like we worked for it, you know?" Joe explained. "It wasn't simple, it wasn't easy and it made finding you even more special."

"Aww, that's so sweet," she sighed. "I can't believe we're here. It's been less than a month but it feels like a lifetime."

"I know. And it sucks that when we finally meet, I have to leave in two days," Joe grumbled.

Lilly smiled and cuddled closer. "But this time we know that we can call each other, and e-mail and I know that in a few months, we'll see each other again and everything will be…perfect."

"Yeah. But I'll miss you," he whispered.

"But you don't have to miss me now," she said softly and pressed her lips to his. And Joe knew that she was right…He was with her now. He didn't have to worry about waking up and discovering that it was just a dream. Everything was going to be perfect.

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**Well, there it is. All that's left is the epi, which will wrap up a lot of loose ends, such as what happens with Bobby and the stuff between Miley and Nick. This chapter isn't one of my favorites, but as cheesy as it was, I was happy with that last conversation between Joe and Lilly.**

**And in another note, I found a few continuity errors in previous chapters that I've gone back and fixed so if you notice something different about a chapter (should you feel the desire to go back and reread this story again) that's probably why.**

**Again, I'd love it if you guys reviewed, with comments, questions, constructive criticism…anything else you might have to say.**

**Thanks so much for reading!  
-v**


	8. Epilogue

**So here's the epi, and it's definitely a departure in style from the rest of the story (at least the bulk of it is). But I really wanted to try something different, and I felt like this would be a fun way to not only answer a few questions, but to show how some of the characters were doing over the course of the Jonas's tour. So without (much) further ado, here's the epilogue.**

**Thanks to all of you for sticking with me throughout this story. It's been an absolute blast and I'm glad that a lot of you have enjoyed reading it! Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites and story alerts. You rock!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana or the Jonas Brothers, and the format of this chapter was inspired by the Harry Potter Fanfic, "The Naked Quidditch Match" and the Meg Cabot book, "Boy Meets Girl."**

**Thanks for reading!**

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**To: **Nick Jonas**  
From: **Miley Stewart**  
Subject: **News about Bobby

Hey Nick,

I just wanted to let you know (although you probably do already) that Bobby is staying with Lilly and her mom! My dad and his lawyer had this whole court case prepared, but it turns out we didn't need it!

I don't know how much Lilly told Joe, but while we were all at her house yesterday her dad showed up. Lilly answered the door and he pretty much attacked her when daddy stepped in and they got into a fight! (Lilly's dad and my dad, that is) Mrs. Truscott called the police, but the fight was getting pretty bad until Lilly used her skateboard and hit her dad over the head with it! It knocked him out cold. But anyway, family court ruled today that after her dad attacked Lilly, he was an unfit parent and awarded custody to Lilly's mom! It's been so crazy!

I just wish you were here to see all of this! We miss you! That tour better be over sooooon!

Love,

Miley

* * *

**To: **Miley Stewart**  
From: **Nick "The President" Jonas**  
Subject: **Re: News about Bobby

That's so awesome about Bobby! He seemed like a really cool kid when we met him. As for Lilly knocking out her dad with her skateboard, that's pretty sweet! Haha, I need to remind Joe not to get on her bad side. Do you think she mentioned this to him? _We _should probably tell them that it's a little weird not to ever call your girlfriend or e-mail her or text her or anything. Like, my dad asked me earlier today why he never calls her. My mom asked me if they were having problems. It might be a little hard to tell her that they see each other every night in their dreams. I still can't believe they can do that!

But anyway, I wouldn't count on tour being over soon…unless three months is soon for you? I hope everything's going awesome back at home. Are Mrs. Truscott and your dad dating yet? Whoops…sound check in five. I miss you too!

-Nick

* * *

**To: **Lilly Truscott**  
From: **DJ DANJAAAAAAA**  
Subject: **You

So Nick tells me we're weird, which is actually nothing new. But he suggests that we should take the time to call, e-mail or at least text each other so that we don't _look_ weird. So I was just e-mailing to tell you I miss you.

So…I miss you. A lot. I can't wait to see you again. Soon. Tonight, actually, but it can't come soon enough.

* * *

**To: **Nick Jonas**  
From: **Miley Stewart**  
Subject: **Your brother…

Is the sweetest, cutest, most amazing person in the entire world. At least, according to Lilly. Whatever he e-mailed to her has her absolutely walking on air! I'm telling you, three months is far too long if I'm going to have to deal with _that_ everyday. Well, not really, but still…

How's your tour going, by the way? How many girls have thrown themselves at your feet? Any strange gifts? I know fans can be super crazy…

Anyway, as for my dad and Lilly's mom, they've started kind of sort of seeing each other. Lilly and I are staying out of it this time and it seems to be working out much better…for everyone. Although she does think it's weird that Lilly's so attached to someone who (for all she knows) Lilly had only known for three days. Can you believe it? The fact that we really only knew each other for a few days before you guys left on tour. It doesn't feel like it...

But aside from stuff on the romance front, life here is good. Finals are coming up for us and I'm trying not to let myself get overwhelmed. But I just keep telling myself that after that it's summer and then I can just let go of all this stress. I also bought a new guitar today…another acoustic. I really can't get enough of 'em. I've been playing it like crazy (well, at least when I haven't been studying. I'm convinced. I'm going to fail biology).

Oh! Random story, but it was the funniest thing today…I was talking to Bobby on AIM, and I made typed this face: d(--)b…and he was all, "How did you get the backwards b?" Now I know that Lilly's slow-ness is hereditary. You better warn Joe!

Anyway, write back soon, because Bobby's busy moving in, Oliver's freaking out about finals, Jackson is…well, Jackson, and the only person I have to talk to is Lilly who is going crazy over Joe...Not that I mind but I need sanity. Save me!

Love,

Miley

p.s. Nick "The President" Jonas? Does anyone ever call you that? I mean, for real?

* * *

**To: **Miley Stewart**  
From: **The President**  
Subject: ** My nickname is perfectly acceptable

…and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mock me. I'm sensitive. Really. Hannah Montana once told me that I was the "cute, sensitive one." So there. And three days? It feels like so much longer than that (in a good way!). I dunno. I guess there are just some people you just…click with. That's way cool about your dad and Lilly's mom. They're both really nice and they looked like they really clicked (haha, word of the day!) And I'll be sure to pass the Lilly/slow/hereditary info on the Joe. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. And then Lilly will _really _appreciate that I shared that with him…

Good luck on finals! I know you'll do awesome. And you won't _fail_ biology. I'm sure you'll do great. Just make sure you study really hard, and if you're good we can have a jam session with that new guitar of yours when I get back ;-) It's a shame we never got to do one before we left…it would have been a lot of fun. But next time…so mark your calendar for…2 months and three weeks from now! Ummm…what else? Tour has been great so far! Haha, I don't think a lot of girls have been throwing themselves at me. Only about…50 or so a night. So just a few :-p Nah, not really. They're all throwing themselves at Joe, but he's pretty much ignoring them (well, at least the fact that they all want to be his girlfriend). I did get a couple of kind of creepy gifts, like a statue of my head made out of already chewed chewing gum. I was kind of scared I'd get a disease if I touched it…

Let's see…Oh yeah! I totally feel you on the whole "Lilly going crazy over Joe" thing…except it's the other way around. As in, Joe going crazy over Lilly. He. Never. Stops. Ever. And while I'm not sure I'm the best source of sanity, I'll try to give you a call and help relieve you from the lovesickness.

-the president

p.s. I take no responsibility for my brother's actions. Sorry if it makes Lilly drive you crazy :-p

p.p.s. I know I said it before, but good luck on finals!

* * *

**To: **Nick Jonas – NOT the President  
**From: **Miley Stewart  
**Subject: **Seriously, you should rethink the whole nickname thing.

Just a thought. Hannah Montana may think you're cute and sensitive, but I know the truth. And, uh, 50 or so girls a night, huh? I _totally_ believe that. Well, actually, I do. You _are_ Nick Jonas, after all. That whole gum statue thing is creepy. Sweet, though. And thanks for the phone call yesterday, by the way. I totally needed it, and it was so great actually having a conversation with you. I hope you can call back again when you have free time. Sorry this e-mail is short, but it's panic time for studying. Yay! I'll talk to you after finals, when I'm less sane and more stressed. Wait a sec, switch that. More sane and less stressed. See what I mean?

Love,

Miley

And say hi to Kevin for me! I still need to e-mail him…

* * *

**To: **Miley Stewart  
**From:** Lilly Truscott  
**Subject:** So…

Are you ever planning on telling Nick your little secret?  
Anytime soon? Like, now?  
And yay for finals being over!  
And yay for summertime!  
But seriously, are you ever gonna tell him?  
Have I mentioned that Joe is sweet and amazing and fantastic? Well, he is.

* * *

**To: **Lilly "You're so nosy" Truscott  
**From**: Miley Stewart  
**Subject**: Re: So…

Hahaha. Cute. For your information, I am planning to tell him. Just…I can't do it over the phone or in an e-mail. So yeah.

And can you please stop for, like, 5 seconds about Joe? I'm happy for you and everything, but sometimes you make me want to bang my head against the wall.

Shopping tomorrow afternoon?

* * *

**To: **Miley "You're a chicken" Stewart  
**From: **Lilly "You Know I'm Right" Truscott  
**Subject:** Re: Re: So…

Miles, I think you're just being a chicken.

And sorry about the whole Joe thing. I can't help it. He's just so nice and sweet and awesome and—sorry, I'll stop.

And duh!

* * *

**To: **DJ Danja  
**From: **DJ…safety?  
**Subject: **You are amazing.

I just wanted to let you know that. Thank you so much for the flowers. And I miss you, too! I tried calling you to say thanks, but you didn't pick up and I just had to let you know before tonight. But the flowers are lovely and gorgeous and you are just amazing and I'm glad that you are in my life. Just so you know.

Aaaaaaaand only two more months before I see you again! I mean in real life…but I still miss you.

Did I mention I missed you?  
Lilly

* * *

**To: **Let's just stick with Lilly  
**From: **Danja, DJ, Danja  
**Subject: **Re: You are amazing.

Right back at you, missy.  
And one month, 3 weeks and 6 days. Get excited!

* * *

**To: **I refuse to call you "The President"  
**From: **Miley Stewart  
**Subject: ** I'm so sorry!

I can't believe I missed your call. But thanks for calling me. Should I try to call you back? By the way, I totally realized that we need to take a Disneyland trip when you guys get back. It'll be fantastic. Lilly and I went with Oliver and Bobby today (which is why I missed your call) and it was a blast. I can only imagine how great it will be when you add the Jonas chaos.

Love,

Miley

* * *

**To: **Not so smiley Miley  
**From: **I AM the President  
**Subject: **Don't worry about it.

I'll try calling you again later. And the Disney trip sounds like a good plan.

And just so you know, Kevin's sad that you have yet to e-mail him at all over the last 2 months and three weeks. You should be ashamed. Talk to you later!

-Nick

* * *

**To**: My Favorite Jonas  
**From: **Miley Stewart  
**Subject: **I'm sorry!

Kevin!

I am so sorry about not e-mailing you sooner. I'm a terrible friend. But I do miss you and I can't wait to see you again! By now I'm sure Nick and Joe have filled you in on all the major news so there's not much else to say. When you get back, I definitely see a Disney trip in our future. Call me if you have time! Hopefully Joe and his lovesickness aren't bothering you too much…

-Miley

* * *

**To: **Miley Stewart  
**From: **I thought I was your favorite!  
**Subject: **:-(

How is it that you e-mail Kevin and Nick and not me? So sad…Anyway, I know I talked to you and Lilly on the phone yesterday, but I just wanted to say that I can't wait to see you guys! In a month! And, uh, you should fix this e-mail situation. By sending me one.

-DJ DANJAAAAAAAAAA

* * *

**To: **Another silly Jonas nickname  
**From**: Miley Stewart  
**Subject:** Here's your e-mail.

Hi.

And I refuse to use that nickname of yours. I'll call you something like Joey. Or Jo-mama. Or...just Joe. Come back soon! Like in a month, or Lilly will be pissed.

-Miley

* * *

**To: ** Silly Lilly  
**From: **DJ DANJAAAAAA  
**Subject: **One week.

Until I can kiss you for real. I can't wait :-)

* * *

Lilly lay in the sunflower field, waiting for Joe. It was going to be the last time they'd see each other like this for a long time. At least, that's what Lilly hoped. Over the couple of days they had together before Joe left for tour, they didn't meet in dreams at all. This had really upset Lilly at the time because she thought they'd never be able to do it again, and she missed it. But then, the night that Joe left he returned to her dreams and that's when they figured out that as long as they were together and could see each other in real life, they wouldn't see each other in dreams. But when he was on tour and they were separated and couldn't see each other, that's when they dreamed together.

They still didn't know how or why they started appearing in each other's dreams, but they didn't care. They had each other now.

"I'll miss this," Joe whispered as he came up behind her.

Sitting up, she looked back and smiled at him. "Me, too."

"But then I'll have you for real, and that's even better," he said, smiling back at her as she stood and greeted him with a hug.

"I couldn't agree more," Lilly concurred, nodding. "How was tour?"

Joe sat and Lilly sat with him, leaning into his side and holding his hand tightly. "Lonely. I wish you could have been there. Next time you should come with us."

"I'd like that. I don't know if my mom would, though."

"Your mom loves me!" he protested.

"My mom barely knows you," Lilly pointed out.

"Well, that doesn't matter. We're not leaving for a while and we have at least some of your summer to just be together."

Lilly smiled. "I like the sound of that." They sat in silence for a while, just reveling in the feeling of being together like this, but excited about seeing each other soon.

Then they discussed Joe's tour, Lilly's summer so far and their plans for the rest of the summer until Lilly felt that familiar tug of waking up. And unlike so many other nights these past four months of dreading leaving their little dream land, she was looking forward to it.

"I'll see you today," she whispered and pressed a kiss to his lips, and soon she was back in the real world. In no hurry to get out of bed, she lay there for a while taking it all in, all the events of the past few months…meeting Joe in her dreams, hoping that they'd find each other, Bobby, the Jonas Brother's tour…it was all just so overwhelming.

It was hard to believe that it had all actually happened, and Lilly pinched herself to make sure that _all _of it wasn't just a dream. Smiling softly to herself, she got out of bed, slowly getting ready and just as she finished drying her hair, she heard the doorbell ring. She knew that it was Joe.

_No, this wasn't a dream_, she thought as she went down the stairs to open the door. _It's so much better._

**HMHMHMHMHM**

**Thus ends, "Just a Dream." Now all I have to do is finish "Through Their Eyes" and I can move on to other story ideas…Thanks again to all of you for all your support! There probably won't be a sequel, but maybe a oneshot about Miley/Nick. I've never written a strictly Niley fic before, but you never know…**

**I love reviews! They definitely help keep me going and they make me ridiculously happy! So please let me know what you thought! Especially what you thought of the e-mail format of the story. I'm thinking about writing an entire fanfic in that style (it was really fun) so let me know if you think that's a good/bad idea or something. **

**Thanks for reading!  
-v**


End file.
